Congress provides funding to the US Coast Guard for establishing a $3 million grant program for Fishing Safety Training and another $3 million grant program for Fishing Safety Research.

The Coast Guard has set up two grant programs, one for training programs and the other for safety research. The training grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and could cover up to 75 percent of the cost of any training or research activity.

The training grants are intended to provide funding to municipalities, port authorities, other appropriate public entities, not-for-profit organizations, and other qualified persons to conduct commercial fishing vessel safety training for vessel operators and crewmembers. The program also was authorized for the purchase of safety equipment and training aids for use in those commercial fishing vessel safety training programs.

The research grant funding are to be used to conduct research on methods for improving the safety of the commercial fishing industry, including vessel design, emergency and survival equipment, enhancement of vessel monitoring systems, communication devices, deicing technology, and severe weather detection.

Oily bilge water management - The practice of decanting / skimming is prohibited.

Decanting or skimming is the practice of pumping bilge water from below any perceived oil or sheen on the bilge water's surface. This bulletin describes the law of both the Clean Water Act and the Act to Prevent Pollution from ships (APPS). MSIB 03-18.

Falling overboard is the 2nd leading cause of death among commercial fishermen.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a video telling the story of Stan, an Oregon Dungeness crab fishermen, who fell overboard and survived, crediting his survival to the life jacket he was wearing. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh//docs/video/2018-107d/...

The U.S. Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) is aware that there are commercial entities that offer to manage the certification/renewal process on behalf of vessel owners for a fee. The Coast Guard does not endorse any of these companies, and the companies do not operate on behalf of the Coast Guard in any way.

Fatigue - it'll bite you.

The Washington State, Department of Ecology has just released their website on the dangers of fatigue and commercial fishing vessel operations.

Listen to a real story of how fatigue cost a commercial fishermen his boat and nearly his life, and get tips for reducing fatigue and helping prevent oil spills.

Fire Extinguisher recall.

This marine safety alert provides information related to Kidde brand fire extinguishers. Nearly 40 Million extinguishers involving 134 different models have been recalled. These fire extinguishers were manufactured between January 1, 1973 and August 15, 2017, including models that were previously recalled in March 2009 and February 2015. The extinguishers were sold in red, white, and silver cylinder colors and are rated as either ABC or B.

If your vessel is required to carry charts you have the option to use electronic charts in lieu of paper charts.

But you must have an approved chart display system

On July 10, 2017 the Coast Guard Navigation Center released new guidance on the carriage of Electronic Charts in lieu of paper charts by releasing change 1 to the Navigation Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC 01-16). Read more...

On January 20, 2015 the Coast Guard declared Sea Area A1 for the United States excluding Alaska. The Coast Guard also announced that it would not declare Sea Area A1 for Alaska. Since then there has been some confusion whether the commercial fishing vessel exemption still existed for vessels operating in Alaska. Read more...

Fishing Vessels chartered by the NMFS as an oceanographic research vessel.

There has been a lot of concern that the Coast Guard is changing the rules for fishing vessels chartered to do research work. The official word from our headquarter office is that there is no change. Read more...

June 21, 2016 - Coast Guard announces the publishing of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Commercial Fishing Vessels.

The Coast Guard proposes to
align its commercial fishing industry
vessel regulations with the mandatory
provisions of 2010 and 2012 legislation
passed by Congress that took effect upon
enactment. The alignments would
change the applicability of current
regulations, and add new requirements
for safety equipment, vessel
examinations, vessel safety standards,
the documentation of maintenance, and
the termination of unsafe operations. Click here

By January 20th 2016, all commercial fishing vessels 300GT and greater must replace existing VHF radios with VHF radios with (DSC) capability. View Public Notice.

Vessel operating only in Alaska waters are exempt from this requirement (see the Public Notice to learn more about this requirement)

The DSC radio must be programmed with the Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number and vessel information. When connected to a GPS these new radios can send the vessels location automatically. Vessels that are not required to have a GPS are not mandated to have one in order to make that feature on the radio functional. Many vessels do have a GPS or plotting system and it is recommended that the proper connection to the DSC be made if possible.

March 1, 2016 new requirement Automatic Identification System (AIS)

Self propelled commercial fishing vessels, fish tender vessel and fish processing vessels that are 65 feet or greater are required to have installed either a Class A or Class B (AIS) in accordance with (33 CFR 164.46(b)(1)(i)). If you have questions please refer to the USCG Navigation Center website.

April 30th 2016 new requirement to submit a Notice of Arrival

By April 30th 2016 vessels greater than300 gross tons and all vessels coming from a foreign port must submit a Notice of Arrival (NOA) to the National Vessel Movement Center (NVMC). See more...

When is my vessel a commercial fishing vessel?

Whether your vessel is US documented or state registered, if you catch fish with the intent to sell your catch, you are operating a commecial fishing vessel. Commercial fishing vessels are required to comply with the commercial fishing vessel safety regulations. These requirments are different from those for a recreational vessel.

Click here to visit the Dockside Examinations page and use the "Checklist Generator" to obtain a checklist for your particular vessel and operations.